Though the jungle was dense, sunlight managed to pierce the canopy, illuminating the clearings within. According to the Ranger's Manual, this forest was also called the Spiderwood, home to the fearsome Sky Wolf Spiders and Steel-Fanged Spiders. In legend, at least, the Sky Wolf Spiders and Steel-Fanged Spiders only appeared in the forests around the White Sun Gate, yet here in the reality of the Marfa World, these mutated creatures were scattered across all continents, albeit in small numbers. Compared to ordinary folk, these mutated spiders were absolutely terrifying; however, we were all Rangers, confident in our abilities, which is why we chose this more perilous path.
“Everyone, be careful,” Long Qi said, his expression grave. “The Steel-Fanged Spiders like to hide far away to shoot their venomous darts, and the Sky Wolf Spiders have potent venom—don't let them spray you!”
The few of us shielded Shen Yi and Shen Yin in the middle, picking our way cautiously through the forest.
Fortunately, the clearings were not choked with the dense thorns and undergrowth of the Woma Forest. The entire ground was covered in a layer of lush, emerald-green, small creeping vine, soft and yielding; stepping on it felt like walking on carpet. Various unknown, vividly colored, wondrous flowers bloomed amidst the thicket, sending wafts of refreshing, natural fragrance through the gentle breeze.
“It truly is a lovely place,” Shen Yi murmured in admiration.
“If only those annoying giant spiders weren’t here,” Jin Hong added.
“Beautiful exteriors often hide the most terrible traps,” Dong Guan suddenly uttered something profound and enigmatic, seeming full of philosophy.
Thwack! In response, Long Xin delivered a sharp rap to his head: “Stop being so deep, keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully.”
“Ouch, that hurts,” Dong Guan cried out, rubbing his head, and wisely kept quiet.
This provoked Shen Yi and Shen Yin, who clapped their hands over their mouths, nearly bursting into laughter.
I naturally led the formation, with Long Zhan guarding the rear. Long Qi and Long Xin protected the flanks, while Dong Guan and Jin Hong remained close to guard Shen Yin and Shen Yi.
We walked for about two hours!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Sharp sounds of air being split suddenly assaulted us.
“Look out!” I roared, channeling my sword-play into a gust of wind, instantly unleashing several crescent slashes to meet the few blurry afterimages.
Clang! Power surged, and the aerial remnants were instantly blasted into fragments.
“It’s a Steel-Fanged Spider, over there!” Long Xin reacted quickly, launching a bolt of Lightning Spell toward it.
At the same moment, Long Qi’s Soul Fire Charm shot out.
Rumble! Swoosh! A dazzling flash of lightning and a sharp fire charm instantly struck the yellowish-brown figure hiding behind a massive tree.
Thud! Ugh! The struck spider let out a cry of pain.
This gave me a chance to get a clear look at its appearance.
Hah! It was truly a behemoth—a giant spider magnified countless times. Its body was the size of a motorcycle, with a head the size of a soccer ball. Its eight blood-red eyes held an indescribable, sinister gloom. Its head and thorax were fused, and coarse hairs as thick as fingers were clearly visible. Behind that was a huge, round, distended abdomen that took up nearly two-thirds of its bulk. Eight long legs, as thick as a grown man’s arm, were curved, gripping the ground. It was currently scuttling forward with tiny, rapid steps, trying to close the distance to us.
But Long Xin, Long Qi, Dong Guan, and Jin Hong would not let it have its way. The two mages and two Taoists unleashed a furious barrage of long-range attacks. Finally, even Shen Yi couldn't resist joining in, launching a large Fireball. Only then did the Steel-Fanged Spider collapse with a heavy thud.
“Ha! This Steel-Fanged Spider isn’t so tough!” Shen Yi seemed unsatisfied; it appeared the girl hadn’t gotten enough excitement from her rare taste of real combat.
“One is certainly nothing to worry about,” Long Qi conceded. “But if we ran into a swarm, you’d learn just how terrifying they are.”
“A swarm?” Shen Yin asked curiously. “How strong are they?”
As she spoke, a sound of dense, tiny footsteps returned from all around. Soon, countless yellowish-brown shapes emerged from every corner. A quick glance estimated that there were at least two dozen spiders rapidly pouncing toward us.
“Now you can see how powerful a swarm of big spiders is!” Long Qi roared. “Get behind the big trees!”
Dong Guan yanked Shen Yin up, and Jin Hong grabbed Shen Yi, sprinting swiftly behind a large tree. Long Zhan and I instinctively moved to screen them, retreating behind another large tree.
Almost simultaneously, countless gray, elongated objects rained down upon us like a deluge.
Clink! Clink! Dong!
Where we had just been standing, and the side of the tree facing the spider horde, were immediately peppered with dense, conical, elongated projectiles, each as thick as a thumb—the steel fangs shot out by the Steel-Fanged Spiders. This was the terror of the Steel-Fanged Spider swarm: concentrated firing. Without protective battle aura at least at the mid-high level, it would be impossible to withstand their piercing shots. Only Long Zhan and I in the squad possessed the necessary defense.
“Wow, that’s incredibly powerful,” Shen Yin’s face changed dramatically. “It’s even more intense than an army’s volley of arrows.” Compared to the arrow attacks of the Zuma Archers in the Zuma Temple, the power of the Steel-Fanged Spiders’ rain of arrows was slightly less, but the density and continuous nature far exceeded that of the Zuma Archers. It was practically the machine gun of the Marfa World.
The frenzied rain of steel fangs lasted for a full ten seconds before finally stopping.
“Th-that was terrifying,” Shen Yi gasped, horrified. “They fired non-stop for that long.”
“Now you see how it is!” Long Qi said.
As he spoke, the Steel-Fanged Spider horde ceased its attack, but it slowly began to advance toward the tree sheltering us. Good grief, they even understood tactics.
“Long Zhan, those brutes are yours,” Long Xin said calmly. “This is a great chance for training.”
“Yes, Boss!” Long Zhan roared, and dazzling silver battle aura immediately erupted from him as he charged out.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Dense volleys of steel fangs hammered toward Long Zhan, but they were forcefully repelled by that silver wall of battle aura.
“Hey! That big guy is awesome!” Shen Yi’s eyes shone as she cheered.
Shen Yi’s cheers had an astonishingly uplifting effect on Long Zhan; his previous extraordinary performance could largely be attributed to her encouragement. It seemed those two had a strong chance of becoming a pair. In contrast, Long Qi looked like he was having a tougher time; Shen Yin didn't seem to take him seriously at all. But such thoughts were fleeting; this was a critical moment.
“Roar! Watch this!” Long Zhan charged into the dense spider swarm in a blink of an eye. His massive Purgatory Battle Axe danced like a tempest, swinging up and down. Every swing brought forth shocking severed limbs and bursts of green bloody mist. In moments, he had carved a gaping hole through the dense spider cluster. All the Steel-Fanged Spiders went into a frenzy, shooting their fangs at him, but perhaps due to the close range, the piercing power was greatly weakened. Long Zhan pressed his advantage, hacking and sweeping until he annihilated the entire group.
“Phew! Good thing there were only twenty or so; any more, and we would have been in real trouble!” Long Qi said. “Everyone, stay vigilant.”
“Don't worry, we still have Xingchen, the super expert, holding the fort,” Long Xin said easily. “Since it’s training, a bit of danger is inevitable, otherwise, where’s the fun?”
“Hehe, with Xingchen here, there’s nothing to fear,” Shen Yin’s previous panic had vanished into the clouds.
Over the next few days, we moved cautiously through the Spider Forest, constantly encountering attacks from lone spiders or small groups. However, the minor skirmishes were usually handled by Long Zhan. When the numbers were large, I stepped in, and whenever I fought, the battle ended within an extremely short time. There was no other way; firstly, my speed was too great, and secondly, compared to my current strength, the Steel-Fanged Spiders’ attack power and defense were far too weak. Even the densest fire they could manage couldn’t break through my protective battle aura.
In the Spider Forest, besides the Steel-Fanged Spiders, there were also wolf packs, Sky Wolf Spiders, and other large snakes. But these minor threats never even warranted me stepping in. As Shen Yi put it, they couldn’t let me have all the fun; they wanted a taste too. Even Shen Yin got a chance to fight. To our surprise, Shen Yin, who appeared so gentle and delicate, wielded a sword style that was surprisingly sharp and deadly. At least five or six Forest Wolves couldn't even get close to her. This brought to mind a saying: you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Four days later, we finally emerged from the Spider Forest. Before us lay a wide river. According to the map, this was Fengqing Ferry.
I don't know why this crossing was named Fengqing (Romantic/Charming Ferry), but the forest on the opposite bank, Bujie Lin (Incomprehensible/Unromantic Forest), made me immediately connect it with the phrase bujie fengqing (unromantic/clueless). It was quite amusing.
The river was vast, at least four hundred meters wide. The crashing waves and turbid waters roared with a sound that instinctively reminded me of the Flowing Sands River in Journey to the West. However, on the map, this river was called the Red Water River—I wondered what special significance this river held.
Upstream from the Red River was Fengqing Town, but we had no intention of entering it. Our planned route was to cross the Red Water River to reach Bujie Lin on the opposite bank, then cut through Bujie Lin to reach Liusu, the Cangyue Liusu that Yan Luo and I had once impersonated. If we had the chance, perhaps we could even see the Lan family who governed Cangyue Liusu.
What we hadn't expected was to find quite a few people already queuing up to cross the ferry. Upon closer inspection, something seemed off: guarding the crossing were several hundred brightly armored soldiers. It looked like they were conducting inspections of some sort.
“Long Qi, go scout ahead,” Long Xin said sternly. “Let’s hope it’s not directed at us.”
Shen Yi and Shen Yin also looked tense. “Is there a way to change our route to Cangyue?”
“If it is aimed at you, then I expect every major checkpoint leading to Cangyue City will be heavily guarded,” Long Qi replied.
“Then we have no choice but to risk it,” Long Xin decided.
“Alright.” Although Shen Yin was very frightened, looking at her current attire, so different from before, offered her some reassurance.
Even though Shen Yin was an official envoy of the Magic Dragon Empire, being ambushed here on the Cangyue Continent suggested that some faction within the Cangyue high command did not wish to see her arrive at the Cangyue capital. As for the specific reasons, I couldn't possibly know; this was a matter of international diplomacy, beyond our ability to guess.
Shortly, Long Qi returned. “There are several wanted posters displayed at the crossing. They are high-priority fugitives ordered captured by the Royal Family—but our faces aren’t on them.”
“Really?” Long Xin and I both breathed a sigh of relief. “Even if they were after Shen Yi and Shen Yi, their appearances have completely changed now. I doubt the guards at the crossing would recognize them.”
“Yes,” Long Qi nodded slightly. “For safety, I suggest we split up and submit to the soldiers’ questioning.”
“Everyone remembers their cover stories clearly?” Long Xin asked.
“We remember,” came the reply.
“If they are after Shen Yin, Xingchen’s black eyes can never be hidden,” Long Qi worried. “You two look too much alike.”
I never thought the black eyes I prided myself on would cause me trouble one day. It left a bitter taste, but reality had to be faced.
“If that’s the case, I’ll draw their attention, and you all proceed in a straight line to Cangyue City,” I considered. “Remember, no matter what happens, just get on the boat and head to Cangyue City.”
“But what about you?” Shen Yin worried.
“Don’t forget, my ability to escape is top-notch,” I said confidently.
“No way.” Shen Yin was firm. “I can’t let you risk yourself for me. You don’t know; what you’ll be facing isn’t just ordinary Rangers, but the powerful elite of Cangyue. Their influence is beyond anything you can imagine.”
“This is the best method. If it were just me, I could easily slip away no matter the situation,” I said seriously. “Don’t worry, I won't engage them head-on.”
“But—” Shen Yin tried to say more, but I cut her off. “It’s decided. As soon as you reach Cangyue City, go straight to the Imperial Palace. That way, I’ll be safe, because they are looking for you, not me. Remember, you must reach the Cangyue Imperial Palace as quickly as possible; only then will I be safe.”
“Thank you, Xingchen,” Shen Yin looked at me with a complex expression, unsure of what to say.
“We’re family, so stop with the thank yous,” I laughed. “Besides, the situation might not be so bad; maybe we’re just worrying too much.”
“Let’s hope so,” Shen Yi said gravely. “No matter what, you must return alive. Princess and I have finally found a brother in you.”
After a consultation, we finalized a detailed operational plan.
“Everyone be careful.” Now, the only thing we could do was pray to the heavens. Frankly, I had little faith in my luck; it seemed all sorts of trouble had a habit of finding me inexplicably. I hoped heaven would make an exception this time and grant me a slight improvement in fortune.
Long Qi and Shen Yin were the first group. If anything unexpected happened, we could launch a close-range support action. This was part of the initial plan, and also the worst-case scenario we least wanted to face.
Our eight members split into four groups. Long Qi was the most experienced, so he led Shen Yin’s team. Shen Yi and Long Zhan were paired together. Jin Hong and I were in a group, and Dong Guan, Jin Hong, and Long Xin formed another group. I was alone. The reason for this arrangement was precisely that my black eyes were impossible to hide. If the people hunting Shen Yin and the others were truly looking for them, then my distinctly black eyes were the most obvious and easily identifiable feature. If only I had brought an extra pair of Phantom Eyes, perhaps today’s situation could have been handled easily with deception. But how could I have anticipated a situation like this?
We separated by about ten meters, blending into the vast crowd. It was clear Fengqing Ferry was a very busy crossing; several large ships were docked there. Looking out at the wide river, at least four hundred meters across, with its rushing currents, it was easy to understand why there was no bridge. While the Marfa World held many things beyond my imagination, it seemed this world hadn't yet developed the capability to build a bridge spanning over four hundred meters. They had to resort to the most primitive method of ferrying across.
Most of the crowd consisted of common folk in simple cloth attire and traveling merchants. Of course, there were also quite a few people dressed like Rangers mixed in, so my appearance didn't look out of place at all.
“What is going on? Why are there soldiers guarding and questioning at every checkpoint?” Ahead of me was a stout man dressed as a merchant, currently struggling with his large belly, complaining loudly, “I’ve been waiting for over an hour!”
“Haven’t you heard the news?” Behind the fat merchant was a small-time peddler, easily identifiable by the various bundles he carried.
“Is something big happening?” the fat merchant asked curiously.
“You bet it is! I heard that half a month ago, someone stole some treasure from the Imperial Palace and fled. Now they are wanted all over the Cangyue Continent,” the peddler said, looking at the long queue. It seemed it would be a while before it was his turn at the checkpoint, so he was happy to chat and pass the time.
“Who would have the audacity?” the fat merchant was astonished.
“I heard it was Ghost Shadow,” the peddler lowered his voice deliberately. “They say he stole the King’s most prized possession, the Carefree Fan.”
“Ha! So it’s the famous master thief,” the fat merchant exclaimed in alarm. “The Carefree Fan was actually stolen by him?”
“That’s why the army is going crazy, hunting Ghost Shadow everywhere.”
“That Ghost Shadow is truly a scoundrel,” the fat merchant grumbled. “He’s the one stealing, but we common folk are the ones suffering.”
“What can we do? We’re just small fry,” the peddler replied helplessly.
During their idle talk, it was Long Qi and Shen Yin’s turn to be questioned. From afar, I watched Long Qi gesturing and explaining things while the guards scrutinized them from head to toe, seemingly unable to find any flaws. But what concerned me was that next to the guards stood several young men with grim expressions, their eyes flickering as they scrutinized Long Qi and Shen Yin, frequently comparing them against the portraits in their hands. Finally, one of them waved his hand, signaling them to pass. This made my heart feel uneasy. Those young men clearly looked formidable even from a distance. Just observing them gave me a terrible sensation; by instinct, I determined that their cultivation levels were definitely above mine, especially the one who seemed to be their leader—his aura felt comparable to top young masters like Hu Xiao Shan Ye. Although I had no tangible evidence, I never doubted my instincts.
However, Long Qi and Shen Yin passing smoothly allowed me to breathe a small sigh of relief; at least the worst possible scenario hadn't occurred yet.
Not long after, Long Zhan and Shen Yi passed through smoothly as well, followed by Dong Guan, Jin Hong, and Long Xin, all clearing inspection without issue.
Finally, it was my turn.